2 Kings 20:10
And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees.
This verse belongs to the account of Hezekiah's sickness and recovery, when after he cried to God, God heard him. God restored him and miraculously extended his life by fifteen more years. Hezekiah regarded the shadow moving forward ten degrees as the easy course, and chose the more extraordinary sign that it return backward ten degrees. Turning the shadow back required God's direct intervention. The reversal of the shadow served as confirmation that God had heard his prayer and would fulfill His promise to heal him.
The sign also confirmed that he would go to the house of the Lord on the third day. The sign was fulfilled when the shadow moved ten degrees backward on the dial of Ahaz. His healing also involved specific directions to apply a fig to the affected part, and using that remedy was in harmony with faith and God's providence. After his restoration, his showing the Babylonian ambassadors the wonders and riches of his kingdom became a test that revealed what was in his heart.